Family Fun: Animation/Live Action Movies For The Little Ones and Big Little Ones

Let those among us with family members in the younger set and those here that are young at heart post about their favorite animated or live action family skewed movies that get served up in their homes. Of course AV quality talk is allowed but let's throw in some magic regarding the children and the cinematic wonders we as parents are imparting to the little ones in hopes of making them into film fans. Don't be afraid to recount your own younger days and your experiences with film. As a parent I'm always looking out for new things to see and share with my little one. So here's to a fun and informative thread.

This is an older (1979) Japanese film with some great songs and what I think are good moral lessons. My little one immediately started singing along and even weeks after her repeat viewings she still sings parts of the main theme as she does her daily stuff. That's a powerful indicator of the quality considering Let It Go is still a weekly outburst with her. It has a tiny bit of nudity and little to no physical violence although you do see some "mean" people along the way and some death. I have no problem suggesting this movie to anyone with kids of any age unless they've previously expressed fear of good stories, hard work, and bear wrestling. It's also a great one for the anime fans and I'm glad I added it to my library.

Obviously as I child I loved Disney movies and visited Disneyland 2-3 times a year but I never grew out of it. Before having kids while in college I worked at the Disneyland Hotel (so not to spoil my love for the park) and had all the animated VHS films, even the original Little Mermaid with the male appendage on the cover I'm partial to Disney movies because I love the music (music theory and comp major) as well as their ability to energize even adults with the innocence and feel good medicine in a child-like story fairy tale. That said there have been a few Pixar and Dreamworks flicks that I have really enjoyed and even Anastasia from Fox was fantastic I thought.

It's sad to see hand drawn animation die in American cinema but I am truly amazed with what is being done in the digital world of animation as well.

My kids (4 & 6) are fickle like most but they have favorites that I can put on and they remain mesmerized. It's great to see them watching classics with the same wonder and captivation that I had as a kid. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Lady and the tramp, etc. all get a spin from time to time and they love them. I'm very glad to see Disney bringing music back to their animated movies and establish themselves again where music and magic meet.

Is always an adventure sitting down for a foreign kids movie. Sometimes their sensibilities are different than our shallow, watered down, short attention span efforts that permeates much of US kids animation today. Sometimes that uniqueness really captivates my eight year old and is fun to watch.

Dragon Hunters, Tale of Despareaux and Astroboy are three "kids" movies that have a bit more pop to them and may be not as well known as Pixar/Dreamworks stuff.

My first theater movie was E.T. I was 6. I don't remember being scared at all but loved it. My daughter has seen E.T. (at 2 years old) and comments on how scary he is. Yet she will watch it all the way through. It's cool how different people see things.

In the last week we've done three viewings of The Iron Giant and three of the 2011 Muppets flick. Both of these movies are fantastic. The Muppet movie in particular has been very surprising and that's a huge credit to Jason Segel for actually liking the Muppets. I fear his absence in Most Wanted won't bode well.

^Always made me a little happy when my young one would get into a live action, or mostly live action movie. As they get older it becomes more common place, but was/is a thrill for me when they relate to a more "adult" presentation.

That Muppet movie was popular in our household as was the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland the year before. For a month she was running around saying "Off with your head"...

^Always made me a little happy when my young one would get into a live action, or mostly live action movie. As they get older it becomes more common place, but was/is a thrill for me when they relate to a more "adult" presentation.

That Muppet movie was popular in our household as was the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland the year before. For a month she was running around saying "Off with your head"...

Yeah we are introducing some live action stuff. She sat through Harry and the Hendersons but not without a TON of questions about the giant monkey.

Recently we went down the rabbit hole of the Tinker Bell movies. They aren't for me but my kid loves them. They have a nice art style and somewhat engaging stories with no content I found objectionable.

Recently we went down the rabbit hole of the Tinker Bell movies. They aren't for me but my kid loves them. They have a nice art style and somewhat engaging stories with no content I found objectionable.

I may check those out. My youngest likes the movies. She likes heroines and Tink is represented as a very empowered, assertive character that sometimes bites off more than she can chew but ALWAYS coming from the heart and what is right - alot like her.

I see they announced the Ghibli titles Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Monoke for bluray release in November. Looking forward to these!

I may check those out. My youngest likes the movies. She likes heroines and Tink is represented as a very empowered, assertive character that sometimes bites off more than she can chew but ALWAYS coming from the heart and what is right - alot like her.

I see they announced the Ghibli titles Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Monoke for bluray release in November. Looking forward to these!

After some repeat viewings of the Tinker Bell saga I can't really find much wrong with the movies. They portray a strong independent female lead and like you said she's empowered and has her heart in the right place. They have a strong cohesive animation style across the movies and some clever Easter Eggs regarding Peter Pan and other Neverland characters. Overall they are really good and I get a good laugh at the kid when she starts talking about "magic dust." I'll be keeping an eye out for reasonable prices for the blurays.

We picked up Muppets Most Wanted last week and have been thoroughly entertained. Fantastic music and Muppet action make it as good as the 2011 "reboot." The weakest link is Gervais but he still manages to get the job done. The biggest stars however are the music and the Muppets. The plot is simple for adults but my 3 year old got it and knew early on something was wrong with Kermit. If you liked the 2011 film you should enjoy this one too. Standard Muppet violence and hijinks should provide little to no offense for anyone unless you are in charge of a Russian Gulag then you will be offended. Tina Fey butchers the accent but in a fun way.

Yeah, I need to get the latest Muppet one, but is still holding it's price. Is on my list for Black Friday hopefuls as I usually try and get a handful of movies to watch after Christmas. Good luck on discounted Tink movies. I always get bluray, so I can at least enjoy the AV, but don't get under $15 too often? I thought there was a new one coming out soon and sometimes they do a sale on the older ones for the release.

My two kids are a bit older now and getting into more "mature" shows. About a year ago our little surprise came into our lives. Lol. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. She's really into Blue's Clues. I DVR them for her. It's still a wholesome and good show. I even bought a Thinking Chair way back when. Still have it and she sits in it. So darn cute. A new show that I actually kind of dig too is Octonauts. The Wild Kratts is a good one also. It's funny, my older kids are stuck watching Disney Jr. much to their chagrin. Who wants to do the Hot Dog song?

Yeah, I need to get the latest Muppet one, but is still holding it's price. Is on my list for Black Friday hopefuls as I usually try and get a handful of movies to watch after Christmas. Good luck on discounted Tink movies. I always get bluray, so I can at least enjoy the AV, but don't get under $15 too often? I thought there was a new one coming out soon and sometimes they do a sale on the older ones for the release.

There is a new one coming but probably not till the holidays, I can't say much more, but on the basis of what I've seen so far of it, kids should love it. I can tell you the title "Legend of The Neverbeast". It has Tink and her friends in it even though Tinkerbell is not in the title.
Disney and Marvel titles really do seem to hold their prices, I check too.

My two kids are a bit older now and getting into more "mature" shows. About a year ago our little surprise came into our lives. Lol. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. She's really into Blue's Clues. I DVR them for her. It's still a wholesome and good show. I even bought a Thinking Chair way back when. Still have it and she sits in it. So darn cute. A new show that I actually kind of dig too is Octonauts. The Wild Kratts is a good one also. It's funny, my older kids are stuck watching Disney Jr. much to their chagrin. Who wants to do the Hot Dog song?

Hot dog hot dog.

Wild Kratts is a fave of my three year old. So much so she grabbed a dead wasp and got stung by it's powers. "it's creature powers pinched me"

Monsters vs Aliens and Astro Boy have been added to the mix and MvA has some killer audio and the 3 year old loves it. It features a strong female lead and pays homage to the old classic monster flicks.

Astro Boy is a version of Pinocchio in nearly every sense but has roots in early Japanese Anime. It has strong audio as well. It a better visual style than MvA although MvA has some awesome skin going for it.

Both are not for everyone but I saw nothing too objectionable content wise. MvA has some more adult jokes and Astro Boy is pretty clean but deals with heavier subjects.

Monsters vs Aliens and Astro Boy have been added to the mix and MvA has some killer audio and the 3 year old loves it. It features a strong female lead and pays homage to the old classic monster flicks.

Astro Boy is a version of Pinocchio in nearly every sense but has roots in early Japanese Anime. It has strong audio as well. It a better visual style than MvA although MvA has some awesome skin going for it.

Both are not for everyone but I saw nothing too objectionable content wise. MvA has some more adult jokes and Astro Boy is pretty clean but deals with heavier subjects.

Recently we went down the rabbit hole of the Tinker Bell movies. They aren't for me but my kid loves them. They have a nice art style and somewhat engaging stories with no content I found objectionable.

Since October is just around the corner, how bout some creepier suggestions for the big/little kids, either live-action or animated?

Indeed. FWIW our 3 year old loves ParaNorman and Monster House. I initially though they would be a little intense but she handled it well. I'm positive she isn't connecting all the dots yet regarding seeing ghosts and what not but there's plenty of funny stuff and a great story in ParaNorman. It's also an absolutely a gorgeous film loaded up with shout outs for the older crowd. Monster House is truly a legit scary movie with some really perilous displays and some violence that moves pretty fast. She still loves it. Considering those two I tried Coraline but she had zero interest. This backs up my belief that hating Tim Burton art styles is genetic and right.

Monsters vs Aliens and Astro Boy have been added to the mix and MvA has some killer audio and the 3 year old loves it. It features a strong female lead and pays homage to the old classic monster flicks.

Astro Boy is a version of Pinocchio in nearly every sense but has roots in early Japanese Anime. It has strong audio as well. It a better visual style than MvA although MvA has some awesome skin going for it.

Both are not for everyone but I saw nothing too objectionable content wise. MvA has some more adult jokes and Astro Boy is pretty clean but deals with heavier subjects.

I still remember the first time we watched AstroBoy. My youngest was almost four. Twenty minutes in and she was not happy with the movie. Alot of downer stuff to start the movie. We were watching on our big screen and the content is a lot more in your face. Stuff she can handle on a tv can be too much in the theater with the big screen and more aggressive audio. Finally, the movie turned and Astroboy starts rocking. From then on it was one of her favorites for a year or so. Very good AV on this and a well done movie - I thought. Did not do well at the box office. I think was too intense and dark for general public.

Monster Vs Aliens is one of my families TOP loved movies!

So fun, and funny! In our household it is just referred to as "SUSAN", as that is what my youngest always called it back in 2009.

I have changed out some of the posters over time, but SUSAN has been in our theater since day 1.